Llagas Creek
| Llagas Creek | |
|---|---|
Llagas Creek near Oak Glen Avenue, March 2017 | |
Location of the mouth of Llagas Creek at its confluence with the Pajaro River | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Santa Clara County |
| City | Gilroy, California |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Southeast side of summit of Mount Chual in the Santa Cruz Mountains |
| • coordinates | 37°06′59″N 121°50′02″W / 37.11639°N 121.83389°W[1] |
| • elevation | 3,360 ft (1,020 m) |
| Mouth | Confluence with Pajaro River just after passing through lower Miller Slough |
• coordinates | 36°57′50″N 121°30′28″W / 36.96389°N 121.50778°W[1] |
• elevation | 141 ft (43 m)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Twin Falls Creek, Baldy Ryan Canyon, Heron Creek, Tilton Creek, Paradise Creek, East Little Llagas Creek, Church Creek, Skillet Creek, Panther Creek, Live Oak Creek, Alamias Creek |
| • right | Cañada Garcia Creek, Machado Creek, Hayes Creek, Lions Creek, Princevalle Drain, Miller Slough |
Llagas Creek is a 32.8 miles (52.8 km)[2] east -and southeast-flowing perennial stream that drains the eastern foothills of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains in Santa Clara County, California, United States.[3] It is one of the three main tributaries to the upper Pajaro River watershed (Pacheco Creek, Llagas Creek, and Uvas-Carnadero Creek), which then flows to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
History
Padre Francisco Palóu named a place near the creek "Las Llagas de Nuestro Padre San Francisco", meaning "The Wounds [stigmata] of Our Father Saint Francis", on November 24, 1774 while on Captain Rivera's expedition to San Francisco.[4] The Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas was a Mexican land grant given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Carlos Antonio Castro.[5]
Watershed and Course
The source of Llagas Creek rise southeast of the summit of 3,573 feet (1,089 m) Mount Chual[6] about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) northeast of Loma Prieta in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. Headwaters flow 10.3 miles (16.6 km) from Mount Chual and 3,599 feet (1,097 m) Crystal Peak[7] first east, then northeast along Casa Loma Road, until reaching Uvas Road, then turning south to Chesbro Reservoir. After crossing 2.3 miles (3.7 km) east across Chesbro Reservoir, Llagas Creek continues 20.2 miles (32.5 km) past the cities of Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy to eventually join the Pajaro River at the Santa Clara and San Benito County line.
The lower Llagas Creek, south of Gilroy, passes through a system of percolation ponds (Lower Miller Slough)[8] which are used to treat wastewater in the area.[9][10][11]
Ecology
The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan cites the presence of federally threatened (since 1996) California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) and federally threatened (as of 2026) northwestern pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata).[12][13] The federally threatened Central California distinct population segment (DPS) of foothill yellow‐legged frog (Rana boylii) was recorded on Llagas Creek in a 2016–2023 survey at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve. [14][13]
Llagas Creek also hosts run of federally threatened anadromous South Central California Coast steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), although the Chesbro Reservoir dam is an impassable barrier to spawning runs further upstream.[15]
Although there is no longer a stable population of least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) on Llagas Creek, occasional sightings have kept it on the SCVHP as a covered species.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Llagas Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 14, 2026
- ^ Santa Clara Valley Water District. "Uvas and Lllagas Creeks Watershed". Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright (1998). California Place Names- The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Berkeley: University of California. p. 212. ISBN 9780520266193.
- ^ David L. Durham (2000). Durham's Place-Names of the San Francisco Bay Area: Includes Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano and Santa Clara Counties. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 155. ISBN 1884995357.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mount Chual
- ^ "Crystal Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Miller Slough". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Santa Clara Valley Water District. "Lower Llagas Creek Restoration Project". Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ City of Morgan Hill. "Wastewater Treatment in South Santa Clara Valley". Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ City of Gilroy. "South County Regional Wastewater Authority". Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ a b Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan Appendix D: Species Accounts (Report). Morgan Hill, California: Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency. 2012.
- ^ a b Public Draft of the Amended Habitat Plan Appendix D: Species Accounts (Report). Morgan Hill, California: Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency. 2026.
- ^ Jeff A. Alvarez, Jesse H. Schmieg, Jeffrey T. Wilcox (2024). "Diurnal versus nocturnal surveys for foothill yellow‐legged frogs". The Journal of Wildlife Management. 89 (2): e22695. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Jerry J. Smith (1982). "Fishes of the Pajaro River System- in Distribution and Ecology of Stream Fishes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Drainage System, California". UC Proceedings in Zoology: 112–113.
External links
- "Llagas Creek Watershed Tour". Retrieved 2017-08-09.